Photo: TownLift

PARK CITY, Utah — The fiery red spires of Indian paintbrush stand out against sagebrush and lupine in mid-elevation meadows across the Wasatch Back, offering hikers a vivid reminder that peak wildflower season has arrived.

Indian paintbrush belongs to the genus Castilleja and gets its common name from the brush-like clusters of showy bracts that hold the true, far less conspicuous flowers, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Those bracts range from scarlet to yellow, lighting up open hillsides from late spring through early August.

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Unlike most flowering plants, Indian paintbrush is a hemiparasite. While it photosynthesizes, its roots tap neighboring perennials—often native grasses—to draw additional nutrients, a survival strategy the Forest Service says helps the species thrive in nutrient-poor mountain soils.

Pollination comes courtesy of long-billed hummingbirds and hovering bees, both lured by the tubular blooms’ nectar. The plant’s lack of a lower petal lip offers flying pollinators easy access while discouraging crawling insects, the agency notes.

After flowering, each bract-tipped spike ripens into a capsule that can release up to 300 wind-scattered seeds, ensuring next summer’s display. Seeds typically germinate the following spring, producing a low rosette the first year and flowering in the second—part of a biennial life cycle documented by Forest Service botanists.

Locally, look for Indian paintbrush along the Mid Mountain Trail, in open glades above Pinebrook and on the sunlit shoulders of Guardsman Pass. Because the plant relies on nearby hosts, it rarely appears alone; clusters often frame the bases of sagebrush or other hardy forbs.

Trail etiquette reminders from area land managers still apply: enjoy the color show, but leave every bloom in place so pollinators and future hikers can do the same.

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